Sunday, May 06, 2012

Is Phnom Penh Really Being Overrun By Filipino Blackjack Gangs?

An article I wrote for Khmer 440...

I
take everything I read in the Phnom Penh Post with a large bucket of salt,
especially after noticing it couldn’t even get the date right on the front page
a couple of months back. I’ve had fun spotting appalling errors like “insert
byline here” in big bold print where a reporter’s name should be – perhaps
indicating that even the subs don’t read the paper.

But
it’s not just the subs. Far from it. A story this week must have left readers
with the impression that if you take even a few steps down the riverside area,
you’ll be pestered by armies of gangsters trying to scalp you of thousands of
dollars in rigged blackjack games.

It
appears you can’t walk anywhere in the capital’s tourist spots without some
kindly member of a Filipino crime syndicate complimenting you on your
sunglasses or choice of ice cream, and before you know it you’re hypnotised into
a tuk tuk.

Generally,
the fraudster will make up a story about how his (insert relative) is heading
to your country and could you give some advice/assurance to (insert relative)
while enjoying a lovely meal at their home. Then you’ll be hoodwinked into a
game of cards upstairs, frogmarched to a bank to pay off your losses, and end
up walking home without your shirt.

:: My new book 'Down And Out In Padstow And London'about my disastrous attempt to train as a chef, including stints at Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck, Rick Stein's and other restaurants, is available as a paperback and eBook on Amazon CLICK HERE

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About Alex Watts

Author of bestselling food and travel book Down And Out In South East Asia - an adventure story, spiked with a heavy dose of backpacker noir, through the eateries, street food stalls, and hazy bars of Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand. Available as an eBook and a paperback.

It's the sequel to Down And Out In Padstow And London - a humorous account of the years I spent training as a chef, including stints at Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck and Rick Stein's kitchens in Cornwall. Available as an eBook and paperback.